Casket-carrying harness.



J. W. DE CAMP.

CASKET CARRYING HARNESS. APPLICATION mzo mus 15. 1911.

Patented J an. 21, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. w. DE CAMP.

C ASKET CARRYING HARNESS.

1 APILICATION FILED lUNE I5. 1917- 1 92,268. Patented Jan. 21, 1919;

j 3 SHEETS-SHEET'Z. I Q a Q: 7

F" 4 J I m J. W. DE CAMP.

CASKET CARRYING HARNESS.

APPLICATION mw' WM 15. 1911.

1,292,268; Patented Jan."2 1,191 9.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. p

JAMES W. DE CAMP, OF BLACKWELL, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO CHARLES E. DE CAMP, OF BLACKWELL, OKLAHOMA, AND ONE-FOURTH TO JOHN P. MILLER, 0F MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA.

CASKET-CARRYING HARNESS.

Application filed June 15, 1917.- Serial No. 174,989.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. Dr: CAMP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Blackwell, in the county of Kay and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Caskct-Carry-.

ing Harness, of which the following is a specification.

-This invention relates to harness for carrying and otherwise handling caskets and more particularly a glass casket of substantially the structure shown in my Patents Nos. 1211.684. issued Jan. 9. 1917. 1,192,167, issued July 25, lflltu and 1,123,856, issued Jan. 5, 1915, reissued September 11, 1917, No. 14,357. The casket forming the subject-matter of the said patents has its body and lid constructed of glass and the said body and lid are bound by metallic frames formed of straps or bars, the two binding frames being connected by means of hinges at one side of the casket and the frame for the body of the casket being provided with handles. While such a casket is no more expensive than the ordinary wooden casket, nevertheless, it will, in practice. he found desirable to place upon the market a glass casket which will be less elaborate and which may therefore be sold at a lower price although all of the advantages to be derived from a glass casket are obtained. In order.

to reduce the cost of manufacture of such a casket under the stated conditions. it will be desirable to omit as many of the frame bars or straps as is possible without materially weakening the casket and also to dispense with the handles. At the same time it is necessary that means be provided whereby the casket may be conveniently carried and otherwise handled both before and during the funeral services. The present invention therefore aims to provide in connection with such a casket devoid of handles, a harness which may readily and quickly be applied to various sizes of the casket and which may be securely held assembled therewith although capable of being conveniently and quickly removed from the casket before the casket is lowered into the grave.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a harness for the purpose stated which will not in any way mar tnefinish of the casket when applied thereto or removed therefrom and which, when in position upon the casket, will not interfere with free opening and closing of the lid of the casket.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the barness embodying the present invention applied to a casket substantially of the construetion disclosed in my said patent;

Fig. 2 is a group perspective view illustrating parts of the handle and connecting bars of the harness;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the harness applied to the casket;

F ig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line l-4 of Fig. 3

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 3 with the easket removed;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one end of the harness removed from the casket;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating the harness applied to the casket and the said casket being shown in section.

The harness embodying the present in-.

vention is illustrated as applied to a casket including a body 1 and a lid 2, both molded from glass and the said body and lid have suitable, though not elaborate binding frames, there being a continuous frame bar 3 surrounding the upper side of the casket body and seating within a groove 4 formed in the outer faces of the sides and ends of the said body, a cushioning strip 5 of felt or the like being interposed between the said frame bar and the said faces of the walls of the casket body. Frame bars 6 are secured at their ends to the frame bar 3 and extend downwardly beside the side walls of the body 1 and beneath the bottom thereof,

a wooden base 7 being disposed against the,

tinuous frame bar 8 extends about the lid Patented Jan. 21, 1919. p

2 at the lower edges of the side and 'end walls thereof and other frame bars 9 are secured at their ends to the frame bar -8 and extend upwardly and" transversely across the top of the said lid. Hinges 10 are secured to the frame bars 3 and 8 and serve to hingedly connect the lid with the body of the casket. a

The harness embodying the present invennecting bars which extend between the side 100 tion includes side handle bars and end con-.

handle bars and serve to connect the same in numeral 13. A sleeve 14 is fitted on to the split end of the section 12 of each side handle bar and a set screw 15 is threaded through the sleeve and when-tightened bears against the split end of the section 12 and serves to frictionally bind the same about the end of the section 11. The sections 11 and 12 of each side handle bar are, of course, relatively adjusted in accordance with the length of the casket with the harness to be applied. The ends of the two side handle bars are connected bymeans of end connecting bars, each c mprising-sections 16 and 17 telescopically connected in the same manner as the sections 11 and 12 and each section .16 and 17 is provided in its outer end with an eye 18 receiving the reduced threaded end 19 of the section 11 or ,12 of the respective side handle bar, as the case may be. A hand 20 is provided with a threaded socket 21 and after the reduced ends 19 of the side handle bars have been fitted through the eyes 18 of the connecting bar sections, the hand grips 20 are threaded on to the said reduced ends 1920f the handle bars and all of the sections a e thus connected in their proper relative positions.

In order that the frame comprisingthe,

sidehandle bars and connecting end bars ,may .be supported against downward displacement a number of suspension devices are provided each including an attaching plate or member '22 relatively broad at its upper end and formed at its said end with an overturned flange 23 which is preferably more or less thinned so as to permit of its being'readily engaged over the upper edge of the frame bar 3. It will be understood that' tho frame bars are held in slightly spaced relation to the outer faces of. the

walls of the body of the casket by means of the-felt'strips 5 and by reference to Fig. 7

it will be understood that thesaid flange 23 may bite or sink into the said cushioning strip 5 when the attaching members 22 are engaged with the frame bar 3. Short straps 24 are connected with the lower ends of the attaching member 22 and are passed beneath and about the side handle bars and tightened by means of suitable buckles 25. Suspension straps 26 of webbing or any other similar material are passed beneath the bottom of the casket-body and upwardly beside the walls thereof and are looped about the'side handle bars and ti htened by means of buckles 2,7. It will now be understood that a afterthe attaching members 22 have been disposed. in place to properly support the s1de handle bars, the straps 26 may be tightward pull against the side handle bars so as to cause the harness to bind firmly to the said casket body. In order that the side handle bars of the harness may be held in spaced relation-to the-outer faces of the side walls of the casket body, spacing blocks 28 are mounted upon the sections of the said side handle bars and bear against the outer faces of the side Walls of the casket body, the portions of the blocks which are presented toward the said walls being provided With flat bearing faces lined, as at 29, with felt or other suitable cushioning material. By providing the spacing blocks 28, the buckles 25 and 27 may be readily manipulated and the straps 24 and 26 may be readily tightened, which, however, would be impractical if the side handle bars were held close to the outer faces of the side walls of the casket .body.

Fromthe foregoing description of the in-- vention it will be understood that the harness embodying the same may be readily applied to and removed from a casket of the general type illustrated in the drawa band extending along its opposite sides,

of a harness for the casket including handle bars adjustable as to length, end bars connecting the handle bars and also adjustable as to length, means carried by the handle bars for detachable engagement with the bands on the casket body, and suspension elements connected to and extending betweenthe handle bars and adjustable longitudinally to accommodate the width of the end bars.

2. The combination with a casket having a band extending along its opposite sides, of a harness for the casket including handle bars, hook members detachably engageable, with the band upon the casket, adjustable connection betweenthe hook members and the handle bars of the harness, and Suspenhandle bars of the harness.

3. The combination with a casket having a band extending along its opposite sides, of

'sion elements extending between the said prising adjustably connected sections, longitudinally,adjustable end bars connecting the handle bars, spacing members carried by the handle bars and having fiat bearing faces for engagement with the sides of the casket to which the harnessis applied, at taching hooks, adjustable connections between the attaching hooks and the handle bars and suspension members extending between said handle bars;

The combination with a casket having a binding strap extending around its sides and ends, of harness for the casket including handlebars, hooks connected with the bars and detach-ably engageable with the upper edge of the band whereby to support: the bars, and suspension elements extending between the bars.

6. The combination with a casket having a band extending alon its opposite sides, of a harness for the c u-- iet including handle band having reduced ends, connecting bars having eyes at their ends receiving the reduced ends of the handle bars, hand grips threaded on the reduced ends of the handle barsand engaging the ends of theconnecting bars, members carried by the handle bars and having means for detachable engagement with the band on the casket and suspension elements extending between said handle bars.

7. The combination with a casket, having a band extending alon its opposite sides, of a harness for the cas ct including handle bars, members carried by the handle bars and provided with means for detachable engagement with the band on the casket, and suspension elements extending between the handle bars of the harness.

8. A harness for carrying caskets of the type provided witlra cirmmlscribing band, comprising handle bars, members carried by the handle bars and provided with means for detachable engagement. with the circumscribing band on the casket, and suspension elements connecting the handle bars and adapted 'to extend beneath the bottom of the casket.

In testimony whereof I. attix mv signature.

JAMES W. DE CAMP. [Ls] 

